Crain's Detroit Business articles from July 2007

Crain's Detroit Business archives from July 2007

Water world (Part 2 of 2); Detroit's riverfront draws a diverse population.(Business Lives)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Marcia Danner 7 200 River Place Lofts Off East Jefferson at foot of Joseph Campau. One- and two-bedroom lofts with 12- to 17-foot-high ceilings and exposed brick walls in former Parke-Davis warehouse. Fourth-floor units...

IRS releases draft of 990 nonprofit form.(News)(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Sherri Begin The Internal Revenue Service late last week released a draft of the new 990 nonprofit tax form it plans to have completed for the 2008 filing year and opened a three-month comment period on the form. With the new...

Auto-related stocks fare better, financial stocks suffer for 2Q.(News)(stock price indexes of automotive industry)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson Struggling financial stocks caused public companies in Southeast Michigan to trail the Standard & Poor's 500 for the second quarter. But in a sharp turnaround from 2006, stock prices for auto manufacturers and...

There's no place like home for DCX Financial; Cross-town move keeps workers here.(News)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely After considering Dallas, Chicago, Montvale, N.J., and locations throughout metro Detroit, DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Americas L.LC. is moving just five miles to another building in Farmington Hills. The...

People.
July 2, 2007... ARCHITECTURE Stephen Bernard to vice president, landscape designer and project manager, Deborah Silver & Co. and Detroit Garden Works, Sylvan Lake, from director of grounds and recreation, The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island. ...

Calif. company to offer Internet access through Consumers' power lines.(News)(Consumers Energy Co.)(Utility.net L.L.C.)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Amy Lane A new player is entering Michigan's telecommunications market to offer high-speed Internet service over power lines. Los Angeles-based Utility.net L.L.C. is working with Consumers Energy Co. to roll out what Consumers...

Biz tax done, but debate isn't over; Some are still unclear on its effects.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Amy Lane The dust may be settling on Michigan's newly minted business tax, but activity - and debate - is by no means over. As the new Michigan Business Tax heads to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's desk, business interests are looking...

Lottery contract draws complaints.(News)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Amy Lane An impending contract for a major upgrade of state lottery operations is sparking criticism that a piece of the business should have been separately bid. At issue is a Michigan Bureau of State Lottery contract for...

National City to add 6-8 branches as part of plan to boost market share.(News)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson National City Bank has completed a market study of Southeast Michigan and is about to embark on an expansion plan that hopes to add six to eight new branches in the next two years, according to David Boyle, who became...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
July 2, 2007... Levin support helped riverfront Editor: We are convinced that Mary Kramer would have reached a very different conclusion on Sen. Carl Levin's record of bringing home federal dollars if she had spoken with us at the Detroit Riverfront...

Water world (Part 1 of 2); Detroit's riverfront draws a diverse population.(Business Lives)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Marcia Danner A few years ago, there was no way Sergio Pujols, 29, a senior design engineer for Southfield-based Denso International America Inc., wanted to live in downtown Detroit. He would attend the North American...

Straighten up and fly right, Northwest.(Opinion)
July 2, 2007... Metro Detroit has a paradox. Its airport is world-class, but its dominant airline, Northwest Airlines is posting a service record that has to be one of the country's worst. One of Detroit's competitive advantages is Detroit Metropolitan...

Building battle; County wants out of lease, but could end up owning.(News)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Robert Ankeny Wayne County's rent dispute with its downtown landlord may be a prelude to negotiations to regain ownership of the Old Wayne County Building. Wayne County sold the 105-year-old building at 600 Randolph in 1986 to...

Other Voices: Documentary's cure worse than disease.(Opinion)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Dan Cobb Michael Moore's new documentary "Sicko'' opened throughout the country on Friday. The film has received a great deal of media play and generated much discussion about the American health system. I was on business in...

We still have lots of things to celebrate.(Column)
July 2, 2007... Byline: KEITH CRAIN If ever Chicken Little had reason to worry about the sky falling, it might be now. Our state government seems bereft of leadership from the top down. We have become obsessed with global warming. Our largest...

Briefly.(Briefs)
July 2, 2007... Report: Cell use up, competition down for local-phone service The annual Michigan Public Service Commission report tracking telecommunications competition in Michigan found competitors to incumbent phone companies such as AT&T Inc. holding...

GM ad shifts may mean Burnett, McCann changes.(News)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea The local fallout, both good and bad, from General Motors Corp.'s decision to shift its Buick creative work from one metro Detroit ad agency to another will play out over the next three months. Troy-based Leo Burnett...

Learning a city.(Business Lives)(Interview)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Justin Kroll Deborah Younger Program director, Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corp. Deborah Younger, 47, is the program director for the Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corp. Younger started her job on April 16....

A Conversation With Cynthia Pozolo, Albert Kahn Associates Inc.(Focus)(Interview)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Cynthia Pozolo, vice president and director of architectural development at Albert Kahn Associates Inc., and 2007 president of the American Institute of Architects Detroit chapter, spoke with Crain's reporter...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 2, 2007... * In a story on Page 3 of the June 25 issue of Crain's, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was incorrectly identified as Wilson's Disease and the story incorrectly stated that Wilson's Disease kills 128,000 annually. The article should have said...

Northwest's unfriendly skies; Travelers make own travel plans.(Northwest Airlines Corp. )
July 2, 2007... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Kimberly MacAdam is changing the way she makes her monthly trips to Buffalo, N.Y., and Pittsburgh because of problems at Northwest Airlines Corp. The sales consultant said she would rather make the roughly...

Zukey Lake Tavern expansion pays off.(Business Lives)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely About two years ago the owners of Zukey Lake Tavern took a risk. They built an expansion that more than tripled its size and also added an expansive second-floor outdoor patio. Judging by the crowd on a recent...

Every post gave McClure lesson in business.(News)(Chip McClure )(Interview)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely Chip McClure said he learned important, but different, lessons from each of his former employers. McClure, an automotive industry executive since the early 1980s, has logged time with Johnson Controls Inc.,...

Crain's List: Largest Home Builders; By 2006 permits issued in Southeast Michigan.(News)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... list of 21: see print copy Total building permits It's not news to anybody that local home construction is stuck in a rut, but building permit numbers paint a grim picture; they were down by almost half in Southeast Michigan in 2006:...

Crain's List: Largest Office Furniture Dealers; Ranked by 2006 revenue.(News)(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... list of 20: see print copy * * * The fastest-growing company on this list is WorkSquared, which nearly doubled its revenue in 2006. The growth was fueled by several projects that came to fruition last year, including a contract to...

Taking flight.(News)(Editorial)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Michael Lee The world of the Web is certainly quick. One minute, you can be blissfully unaware that something exists, and the next, you can have it on your Web site. Northwest Airlines' flight cancellations got lots of...

CCS to offer grad programs with biz slant.(News)(College for Creative Studies )
July 2, 2007... Byline: Sherri Begin The College for Creative Studies is designing its first two graduate programs with business in mind. CCS is talking with the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business and one other unnamed school,...

Looking for successful women.(News)(Editorial)
July 2, 2007... Who are the most powerful and successful women in metro Detroit? Crain's Detroit Business answered that question in 1997 and again in 2002 when it published a list of the most influential women in Southeast Michigan. They included...

ArvinMeritor is ready for Act Two; More Asian business, higher-margin products.(News)(Company overview)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely ArvinMeritor Inc. once aspired to be a $15 billion automotive parts behemoth, but in recent years has become a smaller company by selling several divisions under the guidance of Chairman and CEO Chip McClure. The...

In the spotlight.(People)(Michigan State Fairgrounds appointed Steve Jenkins )(Brief article)
July 2, 2007... Steve Jenkins has been named general manager of the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Jenkins, 53, replaces John Hertel and was named to the position by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Most recently Jenkins had been administrative officer at the...

Building a niche; Special features, unique financing programs help developers survive downturn.(Focus)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Chad Halcom A downturn in residential sales projections has brought a spike in creativity as local home builders find market niches or new financing strategies to stay viable. For Bryan Mazurkiewicz, owner of Clinton...

Rumblings.(Fifth Third Bank to layoff)(Theater opens in Northville)
July 2, 2007... Fifth Third moves in as LaSalle lays off It was a good day/bad day Tuesday for a manager at Troy-based LaSalle Bank Midwest N.A. The manager, who asked that her name not be disclosed, awoke to find two phone messages. The first was...

This Just In.(Huntington Bank Inc. invested in Detroit Renaissance Inc.)(appointment of Reginald Turner at United Way for Southeastern Michigan)(Maddox Ungar P.L.L.C. and Ronald N. Silberstein CPA P.L.L.C. merged)(briefs)
July 2, 2007... Bank to invest up to $7.5M in Renaissance VC fund Rebecca Smith, president of the Troy-based eastern region of Huntington Bank, will announce today that the bank is making the first institutional investment in a $100 million venture-capital...

Silicon Valley firm picks Ann Arbor for office.(Barracuda Networks Inc.)
July 2, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson Barracuda Networks Inc., a fast-growing Silicon Valley company that provides anti-spam and anti-virus software for businesses, has opened an engineering and software- development office in downtown Ann Arbor and hopes...

Week in Review; From www.crainsdetroit.com, week of June 23-29.(Briefs)
July 2, 2007... UAW OKs Delphi contract with pay cuts, buyouts The United Auto Workers said Friday that a proposed labor contract with Delphi Corp. was approved by its membership with 68 percent voting for it and 32 percent against. The labor...

Business Diary.(Briefs)(L&R Construction Services relocated)(Michigan Institute for Health Enhancement relocated)(HealthCor Inc. renamed as Henry Ford Health Products)
July 2, 2007... ACQUISITIONS Storage Opportunity Partners L.L.C., Farmington Hills, has announced the acquisition of its first two properties - Mom's Attic Self Storage in Taylor and Armored Self Storage in Milford, Mass. Mom's Attic has 412 units, 55,550...

Business Diary.(Briefs)(contracts of URS Corp. and Michigan State University )(contracts of Attendance on Demand Inc. and North Carolina Aquarium Society )(contracts of G2 Consulting Group)
July 9, 2007... Contracts URS Corp., Farmington Hills, has been selected as the architect of record and engineer for the new Secchia Center tower at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in downtown Grand Rapids. Ellenzwieg Associates of...

Crain's List: Mutual Insurance Companies by direct premiums written in Michigan.(News)(Brief article)(List)
July 9, 2007... List of 25: see print copy. * * * Biggest gainers In direct premiums written in Michigan, 2005-2006: Company: % increase Acuity: 47.1 CUNA Mutual Life: 10.3 Northwestern Mut.: 10.3 CUNA Mut. Ins.: 10.1 ...

Last call for Most Influential Women.
July 9, 2007... Who are the most powerful and successful women in metro Detroit? Crain's Detroit Business answered that question in 1997 and again in 2002 when it published a list of the most influential women in Southeast Michigan. They included...

Gitomer comes to Crain's Web site.(News)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Michael Lee There's something new on Crain's Web site for our readers in sales. (And who isn't, really?) Today we're featuring the first installment of a weekly column by syndicated sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, called "Sales...

Rumblings.(briefs)(pricing for auto dealers)(Detroit Tigers on FOX Sports Net)(Quicken Loans Inc.)
July 9, 2007... Verdict may change pricing for auto dealers The Michigan Automobile Dealers Association says it's waiting to see how a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued earlier this month will affect pricing for its members. In a 5-4 decision, the...

This Just In.(Wayne County borrowed money from LaSalle Bank Midwest N.A.)(John Frabotta renovated Macomb Daily building)(Collins and Aikman Corp. plants to be sold)(briefs)
July 9, 2007... Wayne Co. borrows $211.1M to cover unpaid taxes Wayne County has borrowed $211.1 million from Troy-based LaSalle Bank Midwest N.A. to fund a revenue shortfall due to unpaid property taxes for 2006, County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz said....

This compact could be a really big deal.(Opinion)
July 9, 2007... We are almost afraid to express too much optimism on this subject, but there's a potentially powerful collaboration on the horizon. As you can read about in more detail on Page 1, the Great Lakes states met in Indianapolis last month to...

Great Lakes leaders push regional compact.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Chad Halcom Michigan and its neighboring states could boost their economic clout, lobbying influence and workforce education as part of a 12-state regional compact under discussion by civic and business leaders. A Great Lakes...

MEDC spending $12m on Pfizer workers.(News)(Michigan Economic Development Corp.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Amy Lane After an uncertain start, state officials are moving ahead with a $12 million effort to retain laid-off Pfizer Inc. employees and aid new companies they start up. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced the...

Knowledge of business is key to success.(Focus)(services of Bill Gutherie)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Bill Gutherie, 44 Vice president M.C. Gutherie Lumber, Livonia 2005, 2006 sales: $10.2 million, $19.5 million 2007 sales goal: $10 million Current goal: Retain book of business in Southeast Michigan...

Face-to-face effort, getting out and about.(Focus)(Automation Alley)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Sharon Blumeno, 45 Business development director Automation Alley, Troy 2005 sales: 192 new members, $130,250 in membership fees 2006 sales: 216 new members, $152,750 2007 goal: 20 new members per...

Approach is to help clients, not get deals.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Tim Basa, 35 Vice president of sales BullsEye Telecom, Troy 2005, 2006 sales: $5 million, $6 million 2007 sales goal: $6 million Current goal: Expand to national offering of Internet phone service...

Enthusiasm for Detroit.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Jennifer Petrous, 33 Manager, tour and travel sales Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Detroit 2005, 2006 sales: 40,000 room nights booked in area hotels (both years), which translates into economic...

'Bedbugs' show adds merchandise.(News)(agreements of Meijer Inc. and Greenestuff Inc.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Creators of the "My Bedbugs'' children's television show are turning their attention to where the real money is: merchandise. An agreement to sell toys through Grand Rapids-based Meijer Inc. is 80 percent done, said...

A conversation with Gary Corbin, Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit.(Focus)(Interview)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea Gary Corbin, president of the Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit and director of business development for the Southfield office of Accenture, spoke with Crain's reporter Bill Shea. Among the topics discussed were...

Data mine: Research firm pumps up growth.(growth of Gongos Research)(Financial report)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea John Gongos is a numbers guy. He likes polls, surveys, interviews, statistics and the psychology behind all of it. He's parlayed that love into Gongos Research, an Auburn Hills-based custom market-research company...

New PR firm gets four clients in settlement with Marx Layne.(News)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bill Shea With an acrimonious split from their previous employer behind them, Don Tanner and Matt Friedman are turning their attention to trying to carve out a niche in metro Detroit's crowded public-relations world. The...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
July 9, 2007... Zoo board sets low standard Editor: A new standard for dealing with perpetrators of bogus resumes has just been established by the Detroit Zoological Board. For lying on a resume the punishment is a reprimand, the docking of one...

Week in Review.(officials and employees of Detroit Zoological Society)
July 9, 2007... Detroit Zoo director keeps job after controversy The Detroit Zoological Society's board of directors voted Monday to keep Ron Kagan as executive director of the zoo after a review of allegations that Kagan misrepresented having a doctoral...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 9, 2007... Wednesday July 11 BioArbor Life Sciences Forum. 5-7 p.m. MichBio, BioArbor, and Ann Arbor Spark. Chris Ehrlich, partner with California-based venture capital firm, InterWest Partners. Michigan Union, Ann Arbor. Free. Contact: (734)...

DMC begins making case in suit against Karmanos.(News)(Detroit Medical Center)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Andrew Dietderich, Chad Halcom Attorneys for The Detroit Medical Center and Mike Duggan, CEO of the DMC, had all weekend to prepare for his testimony scheduled for today in the health system's lawsuit against the Barbara Ann...

Where a young business can thrive.(Column)(services of Brian Balasia)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Mary Kramer Brian Balasia was an engineering student when he and some pals pooled the money they earned from internships and started their own company. Digerati Solutions Inc. is now thriving, and Balasia and his partners want...

Deal creates liquor power; Distributors would control nearly 50% of market.(mergers of J. Lewis Cooper Co.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely Nearly 30 years ago, Sydney Ross left his job as a wine salesman at J. Lewis Cooper Co. to acquire General Wine & Liquor Co., a rival company he built into one of the largest liquor and wine distributors in the state....

Life in stock market gets off to a herky-jerky start for snack-maker; Shortly after reverse merger, shares down to a penny each.(News)(American Food Co. Inc.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely Beef jerky manufacturer American Food Co. Inc. (Pink Sheets: AFHD) went public May 3 through a reverse merger, but so far its share price has fallen to nearly zero. Macomb Township-based American Food makes beef...

State's economy gets lowest rating in small-biz survey.(News)(Small Business Association of Michigan)(Survey)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Sheena Harrison Small businesses continue to be in the doldrums over Michigan's economy, according to the latest quarterly survey by the Small Business Association of Michigan. Only 8 percent of small-business owners and...

Farbman to manage Harmonie Park buildings.(News)(Detroit Downtown Development Authority contracts with Farbman Group)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Robert Ankeny The Detroit Downtown Development Authority has a new management company handling its holdings in Harmonie Park. The Farbman Group was chosen from among four bidders for the one-year, $109,200 contract starting July 1,...

Negotiated fleet-sales deal during bankruptcy.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Sheena Harrison Ken Baranski, 49 National fleet sales manager Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Sterling Heights 2005, 2006 sales: $28.7 million, $37.8 million 2007 sales goal: $45 million Current goal: To...

Bureau webinar to show how to use 'D' branding to help with marketing.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson Can regional branding help your company? Yes, says Jim Townsend, executive director of the Tourism Economic Development Council of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. And he says he'll help tell you...

Fifth Third to add 38 branches; Bank also looking to make acquisitions in area.(News)(Fifth Third Bank)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson Fifth Third, Eastern Michigan has laid out the details of an ambitious expansion plan for the region it announced in March. The Southfield-based bank plans to build 38 new branches by the end of 2009. That's in...

Casino hotels could help region lure conventions.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Justin Kroll The new convention and meeting space at Detroit's permanent casinos could up the ante in Detroit's efforts to attract a range of business conferences to town. MGM Grand Detroit Casino, MotorCity Casino and...

Clients' interest comes first.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Aaron Harris Geoff Hill, 46 Senior vice president Grubb & Ellis, Southfield 2005, 2006 Sales: $70 million, $77 million 2007 Sales Goal: $120 million Current Goal: To maximize the value of the real estate that...

Two years later, private-equity firm closes on first fund.(News)(BlackEagle Partners L.L.C.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Tom Henderson BlackEagle Partners L.L.C., a Bloomfield Hills-based private-equity company, had the first closing on its first investment fund with institutional investors in New York on June 30, more than two years after three...

Corrections.(Correction)
July 9, 2007... * A chart and story about second-quarter stock results on Page 4 of the July 2 issue did not take into account a special dividend of $13.50 a share paid to Domino's shareholders May 7. Domino's stock price, adjusted for the dividend by Yahoo...

DETROIT'S POWER SELLERS; Six share secrets of success during difficult times.(Focus)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... An effective salesperson goes beyond dropping off brochures and shaking hands at events. True sales stars make the most of unexpected opportunities and, in our interviews for this report, exude a memorable, energetic persona that makes a...

Resources for sales and marketing.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... * Associations such as Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit, Society for Marketing Professional Services and The Adcraft Club of Detroit * National authors and experts like Jeffrey Gitomer (see story below) or Harvey Mackay...

State seventh-best for liability.(News)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Robert Ankeny Michigan is ranked seventh among the best states in which to operate a business from a liability perspective, a recent study by the American Justice Partnership says. Steven Hantler, assistant general counsel for...

People.(appointments of Lee Mamola, Michael Luberto and Alicia Bayley at Hamilton Anderson Associates)(appointment of Thomas Glendening at A3C-Collaborative Architecture)(appointment of Dan Calvo at Assay Designs Inc.)(briefs)
July 9, 2007... Architecture Lee Mamola to director of architecture, Hamilton Anderson Associates, Detroit, from principal, Mamola Associates Architects, Novi. Also, Michael Luberto to associate, remaining as COO; Alicia Bayley to associate, remaining as...

Looking for successful women.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Who are the most powerful and successful women in metro Detroit? Crain's Detroit Business answered that question in 1997 and again in 2002 when it published a list of the most influential women in Southeast Michigan. They included...

'Sales Moves' comes to Crain's Web site.(Focus)(www.crainsdetroit.com)(Crain's Detroit)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Lee If you make a sale you can earn a commission. If you make a friend you can earn a fortune. Above you'll find a small example of the wisdom of columnist, author and sales trainer Jeffrey Gitomer, whose weekly column...

In the spotlight.(People)(replacement of William Bennett and Cynthia Sikina at Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... The Detroit-based Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announced that William Bennett has accepted the newly created position of senior vice president and COO. He had been the institute's CFO. Bennett, 56, joined Karmanos in 2000. He...

New conference wins for Detroit.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Listed by economic impact, timing and size: * Church of God in Christ, Auxiliaries in Ministry, June 2008, $25.9 million, 25,000 people * National Square Dance Convention, June 2011, $8.5 million, 10,000. * Brownfields 2008, May...

Test-dummy merger crashes; Concern from European regulators nixes the union.(News)(First Technology Safety Systems Inc. to merge with Denton Co.)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Brent Snavely, Robert Sherefkin The world's two largest makers of automotive crash dummies are based in metro Detroit and dominate the global crash test dummy industry. The companies hatched a merger plan last December with a...

Fund pushed as way to eliminate Detroit 'food deserts'.(News)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Sherri Begin A new financing fund in the works could bring fresh food to areas of Detroit that are starved for it. LaSalle Bank Midwest has committed $15,000 to the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. to study how a fund could help...

Durant to pack ballpark for Cornerstone.(management of fund raising events)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Robert Ankeny Once you've raised more than $5 million for your charter school by attracting golfing great Arnold Palmer to highlight an anniversary tournament, what do you do for an encore? How about bringing 17,000 fans to an...

Sommers Schwartz faces suit from ex-shareholder.(News)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Robert Ankeny A former shareholder in Southfield-based Sommers Schwartz P.C. is suing the law firm in Oakland County Circuit Court, saying he was terminated in February with the firm owing him $245,000 that it refused to pay. ...

Bankruptcies.(reorganization of Optima Oil Enterprises Inc.)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... The following businesses filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit June 29-July 5. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Optima Oil Enterprises Inc., 4000 Washtenaw,...

Briefly.(briefs)(Eastern Market Corp.)
July 9, 2007... Kojaian may start phase two of Farmington Hills business park Bloomfield Hills-based Kojaian Cos. said it is considering building the next phase of its Farmington Hills Corporate Campus because of recent corporate leasing activity in...

Small events, big money; Large sports events draw in little ones with lots of cash.(Focus)
July 9, 2007... Byline: Bruce Mason Even if National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell named Detroit as the permanent home of the Super Bowl, it might not have as big an economic payoff to the region as a major roster of smaller events in...